Omaha Wordsowers

Shopping With All Five Senses

2012-03-04T14:36:00.003-06:00

Someone said a singer must “paint a word picture with a song.” I believe every author must commit to creating a life changing story in every publication—whether how to, news article, or a novel. Commit your work the Lord and He will add the power punch to lead others to heaven.

Challenge: When you walk through the grocery store the next time, notice the smells, the noise, the laughter, or the couple arguing. Pay attention to the cell phone chatter beside you. Talk to the clerk. Not just “Hello, I have coupons,” but converse with the one behind the counter.

When you leave the store process the adventure with all five senses.

Still Lionhearted, Kat

Where Is Your Office

2012-02-29T19:58:00.002-06:00

Stephen King described his early office—a desk in the laundry room. In 2003 I figured if King could make it work, so could I.

Although compact, our laundry ala office, serves the purpose. I moved into this space when widow-hood threatened. My caregiver role demanded I be where I could hear the needs of my husband in the family room next door—far enough to hear his needs and also process my inner thoughts.

Organization has never been my strong point, but I do try. I blame my messy desk on time constraints and the lack of space, but the truth is, given the ideal cubicle with lateral files and bookshelves, most likely I’d still have a million pieces of paper across my desk.

When my dear sweet husband beat the rare cancer, he helped move my office to a small bedroom upstairs. I’ve ten times the room, 4 drawer files, 2 drawer files, 2 large bookshelves and you still can’t see the top of my desk. Paper is important to me.

What did I learn?

ü I’m an author. I write. Sometimes I use a yellow pad and sit on the porch.

ü Sometimes I pack a steno pad and compose in the car.

ü Once in awhile I write a story during the sermon. (Confession is good, right?)

ü I write on toilet paper, napkins, sticky notes and scraps of envelopes.

ü There are steno pads all over my house, but never one at my fingertips when inspiration hits me.

God has given me a passion to share His message—regardless the office space.

Where is your office space—neat or not so neat?

Still Lionhearted, Kat

How Do You Choose a Topic?

2012-02-23T16:11:00.001-06:00

Years ago when I wrote “Sunshine and Smiles,” a column for the local newspaper, I packed a steno pad with me everywhere—yes, everywhere. Inspiration hit me all times of the day and night and sometimes in odd situations.

One day husband, Young Son and I drove north of our small burg where I clipped my nails and watched the fellows ride go-carts. The guys were excited about the speed, the noise, and who could beat whom. Me, I watched an ant carry a piece of fingernail from one side of the road to the other.

That ant moving a nail twice his size became the inspiration for the weekly article, a couple of husband’s sermons and a motivation for the youth group.

Where did you find your latest article topic?

Thoughts from Lionhearted Kat

A Writer's Motivation

2012-02-19T14:57:00.003-06:00

At the end of my writing week, I enjoy chewing over my accomplishments. When I receive notification of an acceptance, excitement bubbles through my veins. When I see the printed article that might have a thousand readers, I’m amazed.

The question is: “Why do I continue to write?”

ü What is my drive, the passion, the motivation?

ü Why do I continue to write? Is it for money?

ü Is it for applause? See me, see what I can do?

Obviously the big money isn’t the answer for me. Applause—no, I like kudo’s, but more than that is the drive to help others.

But what about you?

Ask yourself these questions:

ü How do you find incentive to write for others?

ü What is the reason you schedule time to write?

ü When you write, are you engrossed and excited?

Write a paragraph in response and post it in the comment section.

Thoughts from Lionhearted Kat

YOU ARE YOUR BEST MARKETING AGENT

2012-02-13T06:28:00.001-06:00

“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king;

My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.” Psalm 45:1

Do not expect the customer service rep to think OUTSIDE THE CUP.

When I received notice an anthology, “Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers,” with articles from Audrey and me, was ready to ship, I started calling bookstores and churches. I learned right away it’s easier if there are two smiling salesladies at the table to autograph.

My author friend Audrey and I arranged several book events together. Audrey brought the candies, “Hugs and Kisses.” We stood at a table right inside the door pedaling books and of course, free candies. I’m not sure if our smiles or the candies got more attention, but we did sell books and we built a good relationship with the sales staff.

At the close of the signing a customer service rep thanked us and said, “We’ll sell all of these before Mother’s Day. Easy sell.”

“But this book isn’t just for Mother’s Day,” I said. “This is a book for the year. I’m holding tea parties this summer and I’m promoting Coffee Capers. You know a time when you have a great book event, invite people to learn about the mystery of being an author—Audrey and I can share our story...” I kept talking and talked her into another book event later in the summer.

Lesson learned: Teach the customer service rep how to market beyond the title, beyond the promo pitch, beyond that particular book.

Still Lionhearted, Kat

2012-02-06T19:35:00.000-06:00

February 2, 2012 The Omaha Wordsowers Christian Writers group met at the Rockbrook Plaza Garden Café. Some of us met at 6 p.m. for food and fellowship.

At 7 p.m. Angela talked about a book she bought at HACWN last fall, “The First Fifty Pages” by Jeff Gerke.

After listening to Angela’s presentation I know I want this book in my library. In fact, I wish I’d bought it before the meeting.

There are several things that stood out to me when Angela talked about Gerke’s book. One of his bombs: Character Creation sounds like the book I’m reading. “If you could switch the names around in a dialogue scene and nothing seems out of the ordinary, the characters are week.” (page 57.)

Like I said at the meeting, “The novel I’m reading is rather boring, but it puts me to sleep at night.” Truly the characters in the book are “flat.”

A quote from Angela’s notes:

Don’t tiptoe into your book. Launch the thing with a major dance number.

Next month Daniel Segura is presenting a book about characterization. He’ll post a title soon in case you want to read or buy it before the meeting.

Those in attendance for February meeting: Bill, Lee, Jon, Dan, Matt, Angela, Kat, Merrie and Teresa.

Also, if you want a flyer to advertise Wordsowers at a bookstore or library, email Angela.

If you have any questions or suggestions please contact one of the Leaderhip Team: Angela Meyer, Jon Miller, Kat Crawford, Teresa Tierney

Enjoyed your presentation, Angela.

Kat

Exciting news!

2012-01-28T14:51:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share with the group my exciting news. I have been offered a contract for my novel. I am so thankful to have been provided a way to the HACWN conference - I would not have met the acquisitions editor to pitch my book idea to (at least not at this point in time).

Make plans now to make it to a conference this year. Work on your craft and then give God a chance to open doors for you.

Blessings to each one of you. Angela Meyer

2012-01-28T14:43:00.002-06:00

Our next meeting is coming up- Thursday February 2 at Garden Cafe. We will be discussing Jeff Gerke's book "The First Fifty Pages". Come join us. See you there.

Christmas Story Two

2012-01-13T16:51:00.004-06:00

"There's a helicopter landing in your west 40." I held the phone away from my ear in confusion. Uncle John said he'd be stopping by today but he didn't say anything about a helicopter. Then again things often didn't get said when you worked as a freelance wetwork agent. Uncle John had a penchant for keeping me on my toes. I turned the keys and the engine roared to life.

A half hour later I saw a car in my rear view mirror. The same car had been following me or twenty minutes. I shifted into fourth and floored the gas peddle. I had to get to Uncle John before they caught up with me and found the suitcase John told me to bring. For all I knew it had the secrets of the universe in it. Realization dawned.

Then I opened the suitcase because I couldn't stand the suspense. Out popped Charlie Brown with a stick of a tree. "I'm the new wet works agent. Uncle John sent me to bring you this perfect tree. "

Remember to suggest a title!

Christmas Story One

2012-01-09T08:09:00.003-06:00

After you read, post a title suggestion. Enjoy!

The handsome man of Humperdink valley walked along the melodious path. He suddenly slipped and fell on his face. The world went black and he lost all sense of the world around him. When he came to, he was lying under a tree next to a river in a valley he had never seen before. Nearby, a group of creatures huddled together making a strange clucking noise. He cleared his throat and they all turned and gathered around him. Covered in feather, the creatures reminded him of banty hens laying a bunch of eggs, but then he realized they were all male so they couldn't lay eggs.

The handsome man sat up, feeling dizzy. He regurgitated all over the feathered creatures and then lay down with a plop! The clucking increased ferociously, as the creatures jumped away from his sprawled body.

"What is happening to me?" he wondered. Then the roaring noise behind him made him motionless. The last thing the man saw was a golden mane. You see, dear reader, lions get very hungry around noonish, and our hero was too weak to run. But worry not, the small tribe of Africans went on to win the Olympics in the 100meter. The End

Stories from Christmas party 2011

2012-01-08T14:47:00.002-06:00

At our Christmas party we created stories together...each person wrote 3 sentences on a page then passed the paper on to the next person to add three more sentences until it made it all around the circle. We went around once looking at the previous sentences, and once without. Over the course of the next month, I will be sharing our fun. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did...look for the first story tomorrow. Enjoy!

...more notes from Thursday night's meeting!

2012-01-07T12:45:00.000-06:00

Here are the websites Merrie found for improving your blog or website.

Laura Barnes is doing actual blog critiques: http://laurabwriter.blogspot.com/p/blog-critique.html.

Will Work 4 Followers (WW4F) by Single Dad Laughing, has great advise and ideas for improving sites:

http://willwork4followers.danoah.com/2011/04/five-most-important-goals-for-every.html.

2012-01-06T13:27:00.006-06:00

The topic for discussion last night at our monthly Wordsowers meeting: Why Attend a Writers Conference and What We Learned When We Did Attend

Merrie shared about “Called to Write,” held in Pittsburg, Kansas, and “Write His Answers,” held in Colorado.

Lee talked about his experience at ACFW held in Texas and CLASS held in New Mexico.

Jon, Angela, Teresa and Kat shared insight from their experience at HACWN in Overland Park, Kansas.

Why do we feel it’s important to attend a Christian writer’s conference?

- Relationships. You build a rapport with editors, publishers, directors of the conference and other writers.

- You gain knowledge from the workshops you attend.

- You fellowship with Christians, make new friendships and find that other authors face the same problems you do and you broaden your network.

How do you know which conference is right for you?

- Conferences have a different focus. Do your homework. Ask questions of those that have attended the conference previously.

- Finances and location tend to dictate, but every conference has something to offer.
- If a conference is out of your budget, begin to pray, save your money and ask for a scholarship.

I’m sure others of those in attendance heard more, but in my opinion, these are the highlights.

More news: “Happy Birthday Angela” (She chose to celebrate her birthday with Wordsowers.)

Teresa is now the devotional columnist for Glory and Strength http://www.gloryandstrength.com/

Merrie talked about building her website and what she’d learned this last week. Look forward to seeing your work, Merrie.

Looking forward: Next month Angela is sharing materials from “The First 50 Pages” by Jeff Gerke. Everyone is invited to share your writing news to the next meeting.

Meeting attended by Lee, Jon, Daniel, Bill, Merrie, Kat, Teresa, Angela and Susan.

(Welcome, Susan. Nice to have you join us. Bill, we are glad you located our new meeting place. Good to have you return.)

Have a great month, Kat

2012-01-02T17:59:00.001-06:00

It’s January 2, 2012 and I’ve posted my goals for the New Year on www.lionheartedkat.com

In 2007 I posted my weekly goals on Fellowship of Christian Writers www.fcw@yahoogroups.com. Goal setting did help me, but when I started reviewing what I accomplished and writing the things I learned, I gained even more.

This year I have a goal of writing a “Lesson Learned” weekly on lionheartedkat.com —that’s not a lofty goal, just a tool to help me.

Hope to see you all at the first Wordsowers meeting of 2012 at Garden Café this coming Thursday at 7-8:30.

2011-12-28T17:50:00.003-06:00

Wordsowers Meeting January 5, 2012

Where: Garden Café at Rockbrook Plaza

Time: 7-8:30

Bring a friend

Many of us gather at 6 p.m. for food, fellowship and to support Garden Café.

Bring a friend.

Writer's Contest with February 2012 deadline

2011-11-14T20:30:00.002-06:00

http://www.pnwa.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=13

4 December Writing Contests

2011-11-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

I am sharing this from WritersMarket.com

You will probably have to google these to find them as the links don't work unless you are a member.

WritersMarket.com lists hundreds of writing contests for writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, journalism, and more. Here are four with December deadlines:

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards annually honor books which contribute to the understanding of racism or appreciation of the diversity of human culture. This award for published books is $10,000. Deadline: December 31.

Annie Dillard Award in Creative Nonfiction is offered for the best creative nonfiction. Prize is $1,000 for the winner. Submission open up on December 1 and run until March 15.

Five Points James Dickey Prize for Poetry is offered for the best previously unpublished poem. Prize is $1,000, plus publication. Entries must be postmarked by December 1.

Pavement Saw Press Chapbook Award is offered for previously unpublished poetry chapbooks (up to 32 pages). First place wins $500, plus publication and 50 copies. Deadline: December 31.

(NOTE: If you're unable to access the listing, it means you either need to log in or sign up for WritersMarket.com first.)

Amazon as Publisher

2011-10-17T22:35:00.000-05:00

Change, change and more change in the publishing world. Now Amazon appears ready to replace not just the book store but the publisher as well.
Check out the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/technology/amazon-rewrites-the-rules-of-book-publishing.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Great Writers Group

2011-10-07T08:31:00.003-05:00

To hobnob with other authors brings enlightenment, encouragement and laughter. Last night Jon Miller (17) drove me to Garden Café at Rockbrook Plaza for food, fellowship and fine tuning our writer skills.

Eight out of nine attendees brought a short article about a driving experience. The idea about the exercise was to fool our fellow authors, don’t write in your “usual voice.” I purposely took time to look up current slang. I’m posting my delightful piece on my blog www.sftlm.com for posterity sake, even if it didn’t fool even one of the other writers.

News: Lee interviewed Rebecca St. James, Jon brought his latest article publised in Devozine, Kat brought Love is a Verb compilation. She and Jon both have devotionals in the book.

Another WordSower Presenting at HACWN

2011-10-06T08:07:00.004-05:00

Lee Warren is presenting one or more workshops at HACWN. This year HACWN has 41 publisher/editors and over 70 workshops.

Conference suggestion:
Don't try to attend everything.
Pace yourself.
Free free to ask questions.
Be open to networking with people you may never ever meet again.
Publishers and editors are people, too. They are at the conference to help each one be published. Ask your family and friends to cover you with prayer support.

All Wordsowers, see you tonight, October 6th at Garden Cafe, 7 p.m.

HACWN conference brochure is now available online.

2011-09-22T00:36:00.000-05:00

http://www.hacwn.org/HACWN/Conference_Schedule_files/2011_HACWN_Conference_Brochure.pdf

November 10-12 in Overland Park, Kansas

Note our own Kat Crawford is one of the presenters this year--You can see her picture at the bottom of page 2 of the attached brochure.

So far we know four of us from Omaha are attending: Kat, John, Pasquale and Teresa. Comment here to let us know if you will be joining us. Hope to see you there!

Perseverance

2011-09-13T21:04:00.001-05:00

"...there's a hormone secreted into the bloodstream of most writers that makes them hate their own work while they are doing it, or immediately after. This, coupled with the chorus of critical reaction from those privileged to take a first look, is almost enough to discourage further work entirely." --Francis Ford Coppola, "Letter to the Reader," Zoetrope magazine

ALMOST Such a small word, but to a writer it is the difference between giving up and persevering. In my Flip Dictionary other words suggested for perseverance are: constancy, continuance, dedication, determination, diligence, drive, endurance, grit, insistence, patience, persistence, resolution, spunk, stamina, steadfastness, tenacity. All of which are necessary in a writer's life.

So all of you writers out there -- pick up the pen and write something. No matter how much. One word, paragraph, page or chapter at a time. It all adds up and surpasses the almost for submitted. Because, as Kat will remind us, you can't publish what you don't submit!

To God be the glory!

Your Assignment for October Meeting

2011-09-04T12:27:00.004-05:00

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a 300 to 500 word story on driving that does not reveal your identity (age, gender, marital status, etc.). We will put them in a pile and read them at the October meeting and see if we can determine the author by their "voice". Have Fun!

September 1st Wordsowers Meeting

2011-09-02T12:21:00.001-05:00

Last night, our group met for our monthly gathering at the Garden Café (108^th & Center). The discussion flowed along smoothly as we looked at chapters twenty and twenty-one in our current book, On Writing Well by William Zinsser. We had loads of fun talking about ways to keep our own personal voices in our writing and how to bring humor into your articles as well.

Our facilitators this month were teenagers Daniel Segura and Jonathan Miller. Both are already digging into school work as the school season has begun and were happy to talk about something more fun than school. Like writing!

Others in attendance that evening were: Kat Crawford, Angela Meyer, Teresa Tierney, Pat Mingarelli, and newcomer (no matter how many times I hit myself in the head I can’t remember her first name) Ms. Cleveland.

Angela Meyer announced that her son will soon be coming to a critique meeting and is preparing to submit a devotional to Devo’zine. We’re excited to get to know him in future. Also, Angela showed her excitement at several recent submissions she had been working hard to get sent. We can’t wait to see if she’ll be published soon.

Teresa Tierney has been doing some submitting as well, and no one can deny that they are excited for her.

Kat Crawford showed us many pictures Pat Mingarelli recently took of her. We all saw that Kat is a remarkable model and Pat is an exceptional photographer.

Ms. Cleveland became a great addition to our group within minutes of her arrival. We all hope to see her again at our next meeting.

Our next meeting will be on October 6^th at the Garden Café. Unless otherwise announced.

Member Blogs / Websites

2011-09-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

Wordsowers: We are inviting all members to share their blogs, websites and/or email so we can include them on this website as a resource to our fellow members. We hope to encourage more interaction with the idea that the more connected we are the more encouragement we can provide.

Please share your blog/website/email addresses in the comments below and we will transfer to a permanent resource page on this site.

Thanks for sharing your writing journey with us!

Don't forget: Our September Meeting is this Thursday, 9/1/11

2011-08-30T22:46:00.000-05:00

This Thursday, 7 PM at the Rockbrook Garden Cafe, 108th & Center.

Even if you haven't read the chapters (20 and 21)
or haven't written anything this week :(

Come share this writing adventure with us {:))]

Hope to see you there!!!!

San Diego Christian Writers Conference: 9/23 - 9/24/11

2011-08-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

San Diego Christian Writers Conference: Click on http://www.sandiegocwg.org// and check it out

The Moonshell Storytelling Festival 9/10 at Mahoney State Park 10a-9p

2011-08-24T07:21:00.001-05:00

Found this in Sunday's OWH. It appears to be oral storytelling, but since we are all about the story, I thought some of us might be interested. Follow this link for all the info:
http://www.nebraskastoryarts.org/moonshell_festival.html

Webinar on Building Your Platform

2011-08-21T17:53:00.001-05:00

This week (8/21/11) Jerry B. Jenkins' CWG is offering a free webinar on platform building. Here's a link to check it out and sign up.

http://www.christianwritersguild.com/blog/celebrate-with-us/

60 Rejections + 1 = Bestseller!

2011-08-12T12:49:00.002-05:00

This really encourages me...I guess because I tend to be wired the same way - like Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest: "Never Give Up, Never Given In!"
Kathryn Stockett and her book, "The Help".
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/poweryourfuture/kathryn-stocketts-the-help-turned-down-60-times-before-becoming-a-best-seller-2523496/

8/4/11: First Garden Cafe Meeting!

2011-08-09T15:45:00.001-05:00

Our first meeting at the new location went well. Merrie and I both had the same idea and came early to eat supper before the meeting - both our salads were yummy! The Garden Cafe primarily serves the breakfast/lunch crowd so they are glad to add our party to their thin evening crowd. We had a huge party room all to ourselves and the service was terrific. If you are on a diet, cover your eyes when you walk in - I wasn't the only one who found the goodie bar at the front door irresistable!

Publishing News: Susan Gontarek is publishing her book, "Finding Grace in the Mirror," through Terry Whalin and Intermedia Publishing. Traditional publishers want authors who already have a platform, so Susan is taking the self publishing route to help develop a speaking platform.

Susan shared a copy of her book cover as well as what she has learned about self-publishing in the process. Her book will be available through Amazon.com in both E-reader and hard-copy formats. Intermedia Publishing's $4,000 fee includes
Read more »

Our meeting is moving to the Garden Cafe - August 4th - 7 PM!

2011-07-28T22:36:00.000-05:00

Amazing how quickly the world can change. Three weeks ago we met at Borders and two weeks later they announced all Borders bookstores would close by September. Undoubtedly a sad day in the writing world. Reading the media's perspective on the potential impact on book sales and writers can get a person discouraged. Once again, God calls us to lift our eyes heavenward.
¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.
³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.
(Psalm 121)

Lets help each other remember Who we write for!

Join us in the party room at the Garden Cafe (108th & Center) for our next meeting, August 4th, 7 p.m.

July 7, 2011

2011-07-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

Borders at 72nd & Dodge Street welcomed us once again...although I have to admit I missed the free mini-coffees we'd been treated to during our first two meetings. I guess we are "regulars" now ;~))

While we managed to cover Chapters 17 (Sports - - Special thanks to Lee for his experienced perspective) and 18 (Writing About the Arts) our discussion morphed into a mini-course on writing for the web and maintaining websites.

Jill Hart (http://www.cwahm.com/) and Lee Warren (http://www.omahabaseball360.com/) shared on: How to get advertisers for your website, using Alexa.com, pay per click (about 1-cent),
Read more »

2011-05-06T12:04:00.000-05:00

What an animated discussion at our first WordSowers meeting at the 72nd and Dodge Borders location, May 5, 2011. Didn’t think about it until later, but Kat, Angela, Jon and Teresa (KAJT), started their new leadership team roles on the National Day of Prayer—a great beginning for a new season in life with Wordsowers.

Attended by: Lee Warren; Merrie Hanson; Elizabeth Meyer (Angela’s daughter who after the meeting said, “I really liked listening to all the stories.”) Angela Meyer; Kat Crawford; Susan Gontarek; Jon Miller; Rachel Steenson; Katie Ziegler; Teresa Tierney and Pasquale (Pat) Mingarelli.

News:
● Lee Warren is writing full time for the Christian Post. Suggestion—take a minute to check out http://www.christianpost.com/author/lee-warren/.
● Jon Miller has been accepted as camp counselor at Okoboji, Iowa. One of his articles has been printed and he has three more accepted for publication—great job, Jon.
● Susan Gontarek has sent six chapter of her book “Grace in the Mirror” to Carol Umbarger for editing. Susan also has a new website: susangontarek.com
● Teresa Tierney is the new admin for Wordsowers.com
● Kat Crawford is the new contact for Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Guide
● Jon Miller built a blog http://omahawordsowers.blogspot.com/2011
● Teresa, Angela and Kat submitted articles. (Love the quote on my wall: “You cannot sell what you don’t submit.”)
● Pat Mingarelli, Katie Ziegle and Rachel Steenson are new to the group, but not to the writing and speaking world. Welcome!
● Check out Pat’s photography at http://www.wildheartphotograpy.com/

If I’ve forgotten something shared, forgive me. You can add comments or email one of the KAJT and we’ll add the info.

Several brought travel articles or a memoir to read aloud and then we discussed chapters 13 and 14 from the book “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser.

Next WordSowers meeting will be held June 2nd upstairs in the Borders 72nd and Dodge location. We will continue with two challenging chapters: 15, “Science and Technology” and 16, “Business Writing.” Exercise your brain, bring 150-250 words you’ve experienced that relates to these chapters.

Reporting, The Lionhearted Kat

Left to Right: Pat, Susan, Katie, Kat Rachel, Angela, Jon, Lee, Merrie

Wordsowers!

2011-04-08T10:42:00.001-05:00

Wordsowers in Omaha now has a blog! Yeah!

Wordsowers!

2011-04-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

Wordsowers in Omaha now has a blog! YAY!